A Republican candidate for Virginia's lieutenant governor has said that doing yoga may lead to being possessed by Satan.

EW Jackson, a conservative pastor who has never held elected office, made the remarks in his 2008 book, Ten Commandments to an Extraordinary Life: Making Your Dreams Come True.

The passage was highlighted earlier this week by conservative website the National Review, which was profiling Mr Jackson.

He wrote: "When one hears the word meditation, it conjures an image of Maharishi Yoga talking about finding a mantra and striving for nirvana ... The purpose of such meditation is to empty oneself ... [Satan] is happy to invade the empty vacuum of your soul and possess it."

He adds to "beware of systems of spirituality which tell you to empty yourself".

A study in December found that 20.4 million people practice Yoga in the US alone.

Mr Jackson overcame six other opponents last month to win the Republican nomination for elections in November. He became the party's first black nominee for statewide office in Virginia since 1988. But opponents have seized on previous comments on a number of issues.

Earlier this week, Scott Rigell, a Republican member of Congress representing Virginia, said he would not endorse Mr Jackson, because of his past comments about homosexuality. Mr Jackson has previously said that homosexuals are "very sick people" and "perverted".